A lot has been made this summer of the narrative surrounding Carmelo Anthony and the widely held perception that he can no longer be effective in the NBA. While some agree that Anthony no longer belongs in the NBA, others feel differently, including former first-round pick Royce White.
White says Carmelo Anthony has been blackballed by the NBA, but still deserves a spot somewhere in the league. White then turned his attention to Anthony’s close friend and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. White says James should be looking out for Anthony and highlights the Lakers’ addition of Jared Dudley to prove his point.
"How is [LeBron] letting his banana boat buddy wait out there in the wings? And they go sign Jared Dudley and not Carmelo."
–Royce White on why he thinks Melo is being blackballed. (via Fanatics View/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/rjq5WQ2XdV
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 20, 2019
White believes Dudley and Melo aren’t even on similar levels, and says that the Lakers pursuing the former just shows that Anthony has truly been blackballed. However, what the two bring to the table are entirely different skillsets, especially when considering it from the perspective of a title contender such as the Lakers.
When we last saw Melo in the NBA, he appeared determined to be the same primary scoring option he has been for much of his NBA career. However, this league revolves around ball movement, spot up-shooting, and defense so it would make sense for the Lakers to pursue a veteran option such as Jared Dudley instead of a question mark in Anthony.
However it’s sliced, calling out LeBron James for Anthony not having a job is irresponsible and not a good look for Royce White who played in only three games for the Sacramento Kings in his NBA career after being drafted 16th overall by the Rockets in 2012. White is now in the Big3 league where he was drafted first overall this year.
